The San Diego community has been awaiting the exciting day when Casa de Luz, an organic, plant-based “dining room” style restaurant with cooking classes would open. The day has come! This informative article by local writer Janice Stanger gives us the scoop on how the idea came to fruition!

Reprinted from “The Perfect Formula Diet” blog by Janice Stanger

Wayo at the Groundbreaking Event

Casa de Luz Will Be an Educational, Healing Community Dining Room

Eating out can be challenging on a whole foods, plant-based diet. Of course you can find vegan food in most restaurants, but it may well be too salty, oily, high calorie, low nutrient, and unsatisfying. This is not unique to eating plant-based. So many restaurants cater to tastes that have been warped by industrialized fast food, unhealthy school cafeterias, microwaved dinners, and packaged junk snacks.

In this landscape of undesirable choices, Casa de Luz will be a notable example of how much better we can be fed. I was excited to learn that Casa de Luz, a 20 year presence in the Austin dining out scene, will be opening in San Diego. Their dining room, in a converted Salvation Army building in the North Park area, will also feature a cooking school so you can learn to make appetizing, healthy meals at home.

I was lucky to have a chance to sample the Casa de Luz food experience at a recent Meet Up. The food is deceptively simple.

In fact, while using whole organic ingredients, our chef created an outstanding meal that I still think of with longing. The tastes are delicious, satisfying, complex, and memorable.

Far from being a restaurant, Casa de Luz in San Diego will be a dining room. Customers will sit at large round tables so they can chat with fellow diners while watching the staff chop vegetables and create savory meals in the large, open kitchen. Just observing will be a learning experience. The idea is that experiential learning is a powerful way for people to change and incorporate this healthy way of living – more powerful than a simple class would be.

Casa de Luz in Austin

Eduardo (Wayo) Longoria III, the founder of Casa de Luz in San Diego, is the son of the Austin dining room and holistic center founder. I was fortunate to talk with Wayo and learn more about why he’s starting the San Diego center and his long-term goals, which include healing both for his own serious diagnosis and for the community. Just as important, Wayo is passionate about the rich possibilities of the enjoyment of whole foods. He loves this way of eating, far more than previous routine diet choices.

Wayo’s family has been in the food business since he was a child. His Dad, originally from Nuevo Laredo, had a company called Healthy Snacks. These were packaged snacks that were less bad than the regular movie concession stand variety.  Wayo’s Dad sold the products on the honor system. People were not ready for this kind of payment and the company went out of business.

In the meantime, though, Wayo was literally a kid in a candy store – he would go to the warehouse full of these products and grab them by the handful. He was athletic and did not gain weight, but on the inside he was suffering the consequences of empty calorie choices.

Wayo had a stint at boarding school, where he also ate junk food in enormous amounts. Later he learned the restaurant business working at his family’s Burger King and Papa Johns franchises.

Wayo decided to branch out on his own and opened a seafood restaurant in Monterey, Mexico. At that point he was consuming seafood every day, for just about every meal. Instead of ending up a model of health, as the fish hype would lead you to believe, he got mercury poisoning and had to get chelation to get this destructive metal out of his body.

After getting through mercury poisoning, Wayo had an even more devastating diagnosis. He had started suffering with vertigo and numbness. He learned he had multiple sclerosis, a life-changing autoimmune disease that can lead to progressive neurological damage and sometimes even total disability.

Determined to beat his illness and get healthy, Wayo joined his family in Austin to research natural methods of combating multiple sclerosis. He discovered macrobiotics at the Austin Casa de Luz. Macrobiotics is a balanced yin-yang approach to eating that mostly relies on seasonal  whole plant foods, especially grains, beans, and vegetables. Macrobiotics is well-known as a healing diet for catastrophic diseases including cancer, diabetes, and heart disease, and Wayo was optimistic it would help his multiple sclerosis.

A journey to Europe to study macrobiotic cafes and work with macrobiotic chefs soon followed. Wayo learned the various schools of macrobiotic cooking and how to cook the most enjoyable foods in Amsterdam, Italy, and France. During this time he kept meticulous track of his multiple sclerosis flare-ups. He noticed these disease remissions got less frequent and milder. One year in Europe he had no flare-ups at all, despite being on no medications. He found Europeans to be accepting of healthy choices in eating out. “I felt part of a larger community there, not isolated” Wayo notes.

Still, since his Mom and cousins live in San Diego, Wayo decided to return there and start his own dining room founded on whole foods and the model his Dad is successfully following at the Casa de Luz in Austin. The Austin Casa de Luz has a loyal following of regulars based on delicious food that just happens to be healthy.

All the food will be tasty, organic, unprocessed, and nourishing. Diners will start their meals getting their own soup and salad, then runners will bring carefully designed plates of tasty food. The flavor of real unprocessed food grows on you the more you eat it. There is no menu to choose from, but you can check the restaurant’s site before going to see the food that will be served that day. If you want an add-on to the meal, there will be desserts, a juice bar, tea bar, wine, and beer, or you can buy another half plate of the main meal.

Artesanos, the cooking school, means “artisans” and is carefully named. Wayo explains that cooking is creating art work. “You are hand crafting your body. What you put in your mouth becomes you. If you eat wrong, you won’t be a masterpiece.” The cooking school is affiliated with the University of California, San Diego Center for Integrative Medicine. This innovative medical provider with sponsor some of the cooking classes for their patients, along with other alternate approaches to healing, such as acupuncture and meditation.

The parent company of Casa de Luz in San Diego is Commitment to Health, LLC. Everyone who works in the dining room will commit to their own health. Wayo finds potential employees are very open to this. While they can eat any way they want, they need to commit to eating healthier and making progress toward a whole foods, plant based diet.

Casa de Luz will open in San Diego most likely at end of November or early December 2011. Check their Facebook page for progress. Wayo is working on the final construction and hiring of the rest of the staff. He is so excited that he is once again like a kid in a candy store, but this time the “candy” is healthy, organic, and truly delicious for the educated palate. Casa de Luz will be a destination center for anyone interested in enjoyably nourishing their body while enjoying the best food on earth.

Most importantly, diners will learn they do not have to choose between taste and health. In fact, for the quality of food that the dining room will serve, taste and health complement each other. I hope Wayo clones Casa de Luz to many more cities.

If you enjoyed this post, you might want to read Twelve Ways to Make Cooking Fun and Easy.

Intrigued? Now you can use our Whole Foods Blog Finder to target informative, fun postings on whole foods, plant-based nutrition. Quick information at no cost!

Blog posting by Janice Stanger, Ph.D. Janice authored The Perfect Formula Diet: How to Lose Weight and Get Healthy Now With Six Kinds of Whole Foods. This easy-to-follow eating plan is built on whole foods, plant-based diet that can prevent, and even reverse, most chronic disease as well as get you to your perfect weight. Janice expects Casa de Luz will quickly become her favorite San Diego dining room.

Here’s an interview with George Vutetakis, known as “The Vegetarian Guy,” who wrote a great cookbook about the restaurant he started in Michigan years ago. He’s known in San Diego for roving around farmer’s markets and sharing his delicious recipes with the world.

Why and when did you become vegetarian/vegan?

George:  The decision to become vegetarian came in an instant when I was 14, vacationing with family in Greece. At one of the many feasts we attended, the two goats I had befriended the day before were served as the main course–hooves and all. The years following, I studied yoga and felt vegetarianism was a path consistent with the philosophies of balance, peace and connecting to the earth. I became vegan because I find most dairy sources to be unreliable and connected to the factory farm slaughter industry. Today, everything I do is plant-based.

What are some of your favorite foods?

George: My Greek grandmother’s cooking was a major inspiration. Many of her dishes are my comfort foods, such as: Horta, boiled greens with fresh lemon and extra virgin oil and Kaletsounia, spring pastries made with fresh amaranth or sorrel. I learned to cook formally in India and many of my favorite dishes are those which we cooked there. The traditional Gujarati dishes in particular: Dhokla, a steamed chana dal cake with a fresh coconut, toasted sesame, cilantro, chile and ginger garnish, Devra, Patra and Khandui.

What are your favorite veg-friendly restaurants in San Diego?

George: San Diego is in the dark ages when it comes to vegetarian and vegan restaurants, but that is about to change with Casa De Luz opening in North Park. I recently visited their home base in Austin, Texas and it was a wonderful experience! My favorite raw-vegan is Peace Pies, available at the Hillcrest, Little Italy, and Leucadia farmer’s markets and their restaurant in Encinitas. With the incredible bounty of local ingredients available daily at the 50 or so farmer’s markets in San Diego County, almost all my food comes from those. All the great food cultures of the world have bustling fresh markets, which double as social centers. When meals are prepared at home, the real magic of food is found and we lay the foundation for changing the world one meal at a time.

Do you have any tips for veggie travelers?

George: My wife and I have made the trip between S.D. and Michigan several times. In the last few years, the veg landscape has changed dramatically. After a little research on HappyCow, we found veg places every two hours or so. If there was a barren stretch, such as I-40 between Flagstaff and Gallup, we filled up our cooler at the grocery store with ingredients for simple wraps.

Can you tell us about your cookbook and other veggie work you do?

George: My cookbook, Vegetarian Traditions, tells the story of my former restaurant, Inn Season Cafe–still going strong in Royal Oak, MI after 30 years. The 200 award-winning recipes in the book are all plant-based, many inspired from local farmers who I believe are the real heroes of the modern food revolution.

My blog is a living resource of information, recipes and a view into my veg life. It focuses on the tremendous substance and variety of options waiting to be discovered with plant-based ingredients.

Recently, I began working as Director of Research and Development with Michigan-based Garden Fresh Gourmet creating plant-based products for national distribution. I return home to the bountiful markets of San Diego every chance I get.

San Diego is taking off as a veggie-friendly city! New restaurants are appearing often (see vegsandiego.com) and we boast an active “Vegetarians Unite” meetup group (also see this San Diego Vegans meetup and others).

We are also fortunate to have local experts to help newcomers along the vegetarian path. Veg-Appeal’s informative classes are a perfect jump-start for those wanting to check out a vegan or vegetarian diet. Enjoy this upcoming class taught by the three lovely ladies of Veg-Appeal!

• Sunday, January 29th, 12:00 – 2:30 PM, Kearny Mesa (please note the new class time)
Knowledge is power! Kick up those healthy eating New Year’s resolutions a notch-or-two with Veg-Appeal’s Essentials. With our expert guidance on the “how-to’s” of a low-fat, whole-foods, plant-based diet, you will learn that with this focus you can eat more and weigh less, maintain an already healthy weight, put yourself at lower risk for most diseases, and have more energy. Build your meals around nature’s bounty of whole plant-based foods: fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes!

Experience the taste of the simply delicious “everyday healthy” recipes we will be demonstrating: “Toasted Brown Rice”, “Cuban Black Beans” cooked in a pressure cooker, ”Very Berry Applesauce with Cashew Cream,” “Breakfast Rice Pudding,” a “Color-Filled Salad,” and “Marge’s Daily Greens.” Come join us for a fun-filled afternoon full of ideas, lots of discussion, and some great new tastes!

At this class, you can also purchase (at the price of printing) our booklet: “Veg-Appeal’s Essentials” which lists suggested tools and equipment to make your life easier in the kitchen. In addition, the booklet includes ideas for milk, oil and egg alternatives, restaurants, shopping tips, recommended books, and websites. The essentials!

Vegetarians and vegans are constantly asked, “Do you get enough protein?”

Some of us are not concerned, as we eat plenty of beans, nuts, quinoa and other sources of protein regularly. This helpful article looks at the protein issue in depth. If you want to supplement your diet, there are many protein powders vying for our attention these days. Health nuts have brought up Sunwarrior lately, so I wanted to put the company in the spotlight, along with the huge banner ad on the main page of this blog that you are welcome to click on! If you purchase Sunwarrior through that banner ad, you would thrill me by providing my first pennies off this website which started with a desire to inspire others. A few year later, the blog is overflowing with articles on events, restaurants, interviews with interesting people in the veggie movement, and beyond.

As for Sunwarrior, their Raw Vegan Protein is said to be the highest raw whole grain sprouted vegan protein (not made from soy) on the market and the first complete hypoallergenic protein made up of all 9 essential amino acids and other non-essential amino acids. This stellar product also helps absorb vitamins. The new Warrior Blend increases metabolism, builds muscle and burns fat, and curbs the appetite. Also a raw powder with a complete amino acid profile, this blend contains pea protein, cranberry protein, hempseed protein and coconut MCTs  (medium-chain triglycerides), and has a host of health benefits.

Sunwarrior also sells other products; samples of the Ormus Supergreens were perfect for a recent trip. Organic, raw and non-GMO, the greens include spinach, wheatgrass and others, along with some surprising additions like peppermint and parsley. Grown in an ancient volcanic valley in Utah, the supergreens are laden with minerals and cultured with probiotics.

Their products are great for people with allergies, as they contain no dairy, egg, soy, gluten, added sugar, wheat or yeast. Add that to so many nutritional benefits, and it seems hard to top the high quality products Sunwarrior is creating!

With a 110-year-old friend

I started this blog a few years ago to hopefully inspire others on their path to health; once in awhile I need to recharge and get inspired myself. I am not a raw foodist, but being around all the health-conscious people at Raw Spirit Festival provided just that revitalizing effect.

The setting at the JW Marriott Phoenix Desert Ridge Resort and Spa in Arizona was amazing and decadent, with desert mountain views, a fancy pool with an innertubing “river,” and a giant Dr. Seuss gingerbread house in the lobby.

I attended one day of the festival, at which many friendly, happy-looking people were in attendance. Many booths shared their raw food products, healing sessions and such, and some highly nutritious foods were for sale.

What probably motivated me the most to continue following a healthy lifestyle was meeting someone who looked great and was totally mentally alert at 110 years old! Bernando LaPallo told me he puts olive oil on his skin daily to avoid wrinkles, avoids stress, and eats organic foods – no meat, but he does eat fish. He was with longevity-focused folks from Akea who have a tasty supplement product that contains superfoods, fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and more.

Also enjoyable was the talk by Mimi Kirk, a lovely 73-year-old with a new book of raw food recipes. The festival attendees rang in the New Year by dancing to the Luminaries, who had one song about affirmations and another about kombucha — a refreshing change for hip hop. As the clock struck midnight, Fantuzzi was playing some fun African and other beats.

It is always great to be around like-minded people!

Farmer Harvesting Camu Berries

What is yet another amazing food coming from the Amazon rainforest which contains about 60 times more vitamin C than an orange?

Camu (or camu camu), a berry dubbed the ‘Queen of Vitamin C’ by Navitas Naturals, is a nutritious rainforest fruit that has only recently become known to people in North America. The Navitas product is a pure organic powder. Each 5g serving contains 1,180% of the daily recommended intake of Vitamin C – a higher naturally occurring Vitamin C content than any other food on the planet.

This antioxidant-rich berry is also a great source of potassium, calcium, protein and beta-carotene. Camu also contains serine, thiamin, leucine and valine – powerful phytochemicals and amino acids that are known to have a wide range of therapeutic effects.

Scientists found that camu juice may have powerful anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory properties, compared to vitamin C tablets containing equivalent vitamin C content. Another study showed it may inhibit the onset of cancer and the metestasis of cancerous tumors.

Navitas Naturals’ Organic Camu is harvested from low-growing shrubs in the Amazon River basin of Peru. The whole berry has the seeds removed and is then dried and low-temperature milled into a fine soluble powder.

The Navitas powder is certified organic, vegan, raw, and gluten-free and is available in a 3-ounce resealable pouch for $19.99. There are no carriers or fillers in this product – just pure camu berries. The rust-orange colored powder has a tart citrus flavor and is recommended to be sprinkled on cereal, mixed into drinks, blended into smoothies, or added to dessert recipes (cookies, cakes, breads). Try the Power Snacks from Navitas too, which contain camu! A recipe for Camu Berry Lemonade is below, and click here for more recipes.

Camu Berry Lemonade

Ingredients
2 Tbsp. Navitas Naturals Camu Powder
½ Tbsp. Navitas Naturals Green Stevia
1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
2 Tbsp. agave nectar
1 quart water

Directions
In a blender, combine all ingredients and briefly blend. Add additional sweetener, if desired, to taste. Chill before serving.

Article by Raw Spirit Festivals

For the first time, Raw Spirit participants can bring in the New Year in an exquisite desert paradise just north of Phoenix, Arizona in the most elegant, sweetly-spiritual, healthful, cutting-edge, fun-loving, conscious, abundant, musical, interconnected way imaginable December 30, 2011 to January 1st, 2012 at Arizona’s most magnificent 5 star resort, the JW Marriott Desert Ridge. It features 300 Audubon Society-approved acres, lush lawns, mountains views, trails, 4 acres of heated palm-lined swimming pools and rivers, plus a gilded Wildflower Ballroom reserved exclusively for the Raw Spirit New Year’s Festival.

With a theme of “Inspiration, Education, Meditation & Celebration,” participants can expect to have plenty of fun while learning the latest information in health, eco and spiritual living via dynamic presentations and musical performances, including educational sessions by an eclectic array of doctors who are also research authors on natural health. Plus, raw vegan chefs will offer organic raw vegan demos & tastings, amidst a plethora of playshops on yoga, dancing, meditation, singing and more. Meanwhile, attendees can sample an organic raw vegan dishes and shop at vendor booths.

According to festival founder Happy Oasis, “This is much more than a vibrant vegan festival. Our vision is to integrate healthy living, eco-sustainable solutions, music, art, and world peace while creating a community of fun and loving kindness, because together these comprise a comprehensive strategy for positively addressing current global challenges. We feel that our Raw Spirit Festival belongs to the entire ever-expanding, international community.”

Billed as “the world’s leading, largest and longest-lived raw vegan-eco-peace celebration,” the Raw Spirit Festival is a 501c3 educational non profit that offered its first festival in Sedona, Arizona in May of 2005. The non profit has offered more than 200 celebrations since its inception, most of them entirely free to the public. The Raw Spirit organization gives freely to several other non profits and groups in need including Women’s Shelters, Department of Veterans Affairs, Native American groups, Big Brothers Big Sisters and more. Raw Spirit welcomes sponsors and donors so that it can continue to serve for many years to come.

The Fri. Dec. 30th through Sun. Jan. 1st weekend celebration price is only $150. Day tickets are $75 Fri. Dec. 30th and/or $85 Sat. Dec. 31st into the New Year. The group discount hotel rate is $149 per room. To register and for more information, phone (480) 363-0934 or (928) 308-2146 or email info@rawspirit.com. Tickets are limited. Pre-registration is highly recommended. PURCHASE TICKETS HERE or view the SCHEDULE.

Article by Raw Spirit Festivals

Sipz in North Park

Sipz Fusion Cafe, the makers of great meatless Asian food,  finally opened their long-awaited North Park location. It’s in the perfect spot between CorePower Yoga and Rancho’s Cocina North Park, which has been offering numerous vegan options for years. Around the corner are the all-veggie Spread and Casa de Luz San Diego’s soon to open macrobiotic vegetarian restaurant with cooking classes.  The proximity of several veg-friendly places works well for health-conscious folks in the area and for people enjoying the monthly Ray at Night art walk.

The Sipz in North Park is owned by the same sister and brother team and features the same high quality food as the bigger Clairemont Mesa location. The North Park spot has a big window for watching the area’s characters passing by on the street, creatively painted walls, and a nice overall ambiance. They’ve got friendly waitstaff too.

My friend and I stuffed our faces with some appetizers: lettuce wraps and potstickers, followed by my longtime favorite, “Spicy Basil” with fake chicken. The food satisfied us just like the Clairemont Mesa location.

Sipz in North Park is open for lunch and  dinner daily. Watch for the grand opening in February- date TBA.

Delicious TV’s new television project is featuring popular vegan chefs through a six-episode cooking series to be distributed on public television. Since the episodes (half hour each) will be available to all stations via satellite, this project could explode as they will approach cable stations and eventually overseas markets.

Each week’s mash up is designed for universal appeal – every episode can be watched by followers of various diets. Join known chefs and cookbook authors Terry Hope Romero, Toni Fiore, and Miyoko Schinner every week in their own kitchens as they whip up some easy and tasty fare. A guest chef will be included to add some spice.

Betsy Carson’s “Totally Vegetarian” on Delicious TV has been seen nationwide and her recipe podcast VegEZ has reached more than 4.5 million people. She also produced Vegan Hotspot, a celebrity dining series.

The Chefs

Terry Hope Romero is the author and co-author of bestselling cookbooks Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook, Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar, and Viva Vegan!: Authentic Vegan Latina American Recipes. She’s also presented cooking demos and talks at food festivals and conferences ranging from Paris to New York City, Toronto, and many more. Romero contributes to VegNews (leading vegan lifestyle magazine) through her “Hot Urban Eats” column. She holds a certificate in Plant-Based Nutrition from Cornell University.

Toni Fiore

Toni Fiore is the host of the popular public television show Delicious TV’s “Totally Vegetarian.” Fiore was raised by an Italian-American father and a German mother who instilled in her a sociable nature and the love of travel and of good food. She has two grown vegetarian children and a cat named Cadie. The author of Totally Vegetarian: Easy, Fast, Comforting Cooking for Every Kind of Vegetarian, she is planning a future cookbook and the next season of her show.

Miyoko Schinner published three cookbooks, two of which are still in print, The New Now and Zen Epicure and Japanese Cooking: Traditional and Contemporary. She owned a restaurant, developed and sold products nationwide and on United Airlines, and taught cooking in front of live audiences and on television. Her cooking show, Miyoko’s Kitchen, aims to go mainstream with vegan cuisine and make it fun and accessible for all.

Check Out Delicious TV on Facebook or YouTube. Funds are needed to make this mash up show meet the highest television standard possible. Financial assistance will cover the film crew, equipment, editing, closed captioning, tape stock, and publicity.

Reprinted from Vegan Mainstream, written by Jessi Stafford

Compassion Couture is a brand spanking new start-up run by the ever-fashionable and driven sister team, Jill and Tracey Spiritus. While working in the “hustle and bustle of corporate America,” the sisters realized they wanted a little more, and subsequently redirected their focus with a stylish, animal-friendly site to connect high-end eco-friendly, vegan fashions with the consumers who are seeking those types of items. Vegan Mainstream recently chatted with the dynamic duo to find out how they choose the trends to place on their site, how they got their start as entrepreneurs and what’s in store for the future of compassionate high-end wares.

Vegan Mainstream: How did you get the idea to start Compassion Couture?

Tracey Spiritus: It kind of stemmed from the fact that I was having a really hard time, personally, finding products that had qualities in line with my values. I really searched hard for products that were not made from animals and where the labels were conscious of the environment as well. I wanted to start a place where I could find all these items in one spot. [I wanted to develop a site that people would be able to come to] and not have to weed out things that weren’t well-made or that were just vegan by accident, but that were also fashion forward.

VM: What were each of your backgrounds before you started CC?

Jill Spiritus: I actually work for a digital company doing marketing in Manhattan. I’ve been in marketing and PR for about four years now.

VM:Do you still do marketing/PR on the side or are you now fully invested in CC stuff?

JS: We’re both actually still working full-time jobs.

TS: I work in commercial real estate finance. I’ve been in real estate for probably almost ten years now.

VM: How are you finding making the switch from the corporate world to being an entrepreneur?

JS: We’re finding it really exciting. It’s tough doing both at the same time, but I’m really passionate about the cause and promoting compassionate fashion. Most people aren’t even aware that what they’re wearing are animals. There’s really no need to be wearing these products when there’s such a big selection out there, especially with shoes now. I’m so much more passionate about this, and fashion as well, than I am about my current job!

TS: I pretty much feel exactly the same way. We’re both so excited to be focusing on making a difference in how the world views compassionate fashion; we’re so much more passionate about this business than what we do for our day jobs, so it’s really exciting and we’re looking forward to spreading the word and watching the market grow.

VM: How long do you plan to juggle both jobs?

JS: We’re basically basing it on how our sales are and how fast the company grows, but I’m hoping maybe a year. Like a year from when we started in September.

VM: So, you started in September 2010?

JS: 2011! Yeah,we just started.

TS: The site’s brand new. We launched basically September 1st, so not even three months ago.

VM: How has the response been so far in just a few months?

JS: It has been really well received. We’ve gotten a lot of fans on Facebook and Twitter. I think a lot of people are passionate about the same thing we are, and they are searching for the same thing we were - and that’s what will make our business successful…fingers crossed!

[Visit Compassion Couture on Facebook and Twitter!]

VM: How did you start sourcing all the brands you feature on the site? Did you already have connections or did you have to just start by doing outreach?

TS: First of all, we started out with some of the brands we knew we could rely on when we were shopping and reached out to them. We didn’t really have any connections, but we found brands on our own that really liked the mission; we just reached out and hoped for the best. I think over the past couple of years a lot of brands have been popping up that weren’t there when we first started looking for this stuff. We’ve actually had a lot of labels reach out to us and want to be featured on our site, so it’s exciting to see that happening.

VM: Did you first set out to do high-end?

JS: We actually did set out with the plan of focusing on high-end products, because a lot of the sites out there that do sell vegan handbags, shoes and accessories are more focused on low-end products. We’ve worn their products and they wear out really quickly. But if you’re looking at the brands that are high quality, most of them we already own and they have great reputations, like olsen Haus and Cri de Coeur. We figured there actually was a space in the market for this.

VM: So you were both pretty into fashion beforehand?

TS: Yeah, we enjoy keeping up with fashion and trends. You know, we like to dress up. That’s kind of a passion of ours.

VM: Are you guys planning to move into clothing or just accessories and shoes for right now?

JS: We’re actually thinking we’re going to stay away from clothes for now. When we expand we want [to start including] more eco-friendly jewelry lines on our site, and maybe even beauty products.

VM: What are some of the trends you’re currently incorporating on your website?

JS: We both have our own unique sense of style, so pretty much the brands that we are following are keeping up with what’s fashion forward and what regular brands are doing…We also hand-pick every item to give our consumer more options.

VM: I also saw you have a blog [Compassion Forward] that you update, Tracey. Do you have any plans to partner with other blogs?

TS: We don’t really have time for that. I wouldn’t say it’s something I wouldn’t consider, but for right now the business aspect is keeping us so busy.  I really have been slacking on posting on the blog. Hopefully I’ll be able to get more stuff up there soon. But it’s hard to work full time, and do the business, and keep up with writing.

VM: You guys need interns!

Both: Yes, we do!

VM: You guys are busy bees. What do you have in the works for the new year?

JS: We have a few different plans we’re going to be incorporating into our site in the summer. We’re definitely going to be doing some events. We’d also love to have a pop-up shop and we hope in the future to partner with some of the non-profits that focus on animals like Farm Sanctuary and the Humane Society.

We look forward to watching you grow Compassion Couture!

Photo Credit: Compassion Couture